Paddling And Picnics
- a Memory of Chilbolton.

The water meadows have many happy memories. We bought the wired stopper Corona Lemonade in the village shop run at that time by Mrs Hunt. This was carefully carried to the stream and placed in it where the little 'island' is on the left of the picture. It was always crowded on the bank with people having picnics, children paddling in the very clear waters. On the other side of the bridge you could get down a slope where there were tiddlers to be caught in a jam jar. Most of the land was very marshy and we had to keep to the main paths or we would get wet feet. I believe the water table is much lower now. If you went over the bridge towards the long bridge there was a deeper bit of river where teenagers could swim and a concrete block which had at sometime held a small diving board. From the recreation ground there was always lovers lane which lead to the coronation tree. There is a bench there now with a new tree. We used to scramble down to the river from there to dangle our feet in the river but it was fenced off at some time and is quite overgrown, spoiling the view. Did the sun really always shine?

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